


Out of the Woods

by JumpTheThunder



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: But don’t worry the major Character death isn’t Emma-Regina-or Henry, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 06:12:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11983824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpTheThunder/pseuds/JumpTheThunder
Summary: 10 years have passed since the season 6 finale and we find Emma desperately trying to find her family only to discover that nothing is as it seems and no one is as she last knew them.





	Out of the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been dancing around my head for the past 2-3 weeks. Should I write it? Should this become an actual story?
> 
> If it does it will be mature, semi-slow burn with Swan Queen as endgame, and the "major character death" will be Hook, though not in a bitter horrible way.

It had been 8 years. 8 fucking years. 8 years since it had all been ripped away. 8 years since that last little failsafe, the final burst of revenge the Black Fairy had woven into her plan was triggered and suddenly everything was just...gone.

On the last night when things had been even remotely normal, Emma arrived at Regina's house and flopped down on the couch where Regina was reading, her head falling uninvited but not unwelcomed into Regina's lap. Regina kept reading as if Emma wasn't even there, though she did conjure an ice cold beer which appeared (atop a coaster) on the nearby coffee table, much to Emma's delight (ever since one very drunken night when she'd realized just how adept Regina was with her magic, from her ability to do simple things Emma had never considered using magic for, to her ability to cast incredibly powerful spells, Emma always seemed gleeful when Regina used it to seemingly read Emma's mind and satisfy her simple whims).

It was three hours later, laying side by side in the dark on the bed in the guest room, talking about how much they both missed Henry and wondered where he was and how he was doing on his trans-world journey of self-discovery, recounting their favorite moments together (as a family?) from before he left, that Emma found herself thinking " ** _This_** is home", her heart stuttering for just a moment before settling back into a comfortable rhythm.

 

They fell asleep around 2am, fully dressed on top of the covers (it was August, the windows were open and the warm summer air, cooled slightly as it blew in off the ocean, made the temperature in the room simply perfect). They were each nearly unconscious, on the edge of dreamland, when the fingers of the hands between their bodies moved towards one another, fingers brushing before their pinkies linked.

 

 

When Emma awoke there was a smile playing on her lips that she had neither expected nor could she fully explain. She stretched, realizing that she'd found herself in the familiar guest bed at Regina's house, memories of falling asleep with the other woman beside her slowly drifted back into her consciousness. When she opened her eyes she couldn't say she was surprised to find herself alone. It wasn't the first time they'd fallen asleep together here...or in Regina's bed...or in Emma's bed...or on the couch...or that one time in the bug...and it was far from the first time she'd woken up alone. Regina had a habit of waking up early that had started with Henry and never worn off, despite the fact that she was decidedly not a natural morning person. So Emma thought nothing of the peaceful solitude of the morning. She simply got up, showered, pulled on the clothes that she'd long since started leaving in a set of drawers here, and headed to the kitchen expecting to find Regina at the table with her glasses on as she read the newspaper, or some work related city hall document, or a book if she were feeling particularly relaxed, and a mug awaiting her next to a still warm pot of coffee.

 

But Regina wasn't there. There was no mug, no coffee, no book, no glasses.

 

It wasn't long before it became clear that there was no Snow, no Charming, no Granny, no Zelena, no Robyn, no Hook, no Marco, no Archie. There was no one.

 

No one except Emma.

 

And now it had been 8 years. 8 years and she stood next to the mercedes that had somewhere along the way become more precious to her than the bug had ever been. She'd packed it full of the important things, the things she knew she'd need and want with her no matter where this journey took her, and now it was finally time to see whether all her work had paid off. Closing her eyes tight and taking in a deep, shaky breath Emma pulled the vial from her pocket, the deep, deep blue liquid sparkling and twinkling,  almost like the night sky that last perfect night in August 8 years previous, and poured it over the car. Instantly the engine roared to life and a slightly manic smile overtook Emma's features. She'd done it. She'd really finally fucking done it.  

Emma opened her eyes, taking one last look around at the town she had loved, the town that had once been home but had become a prison, before climbing into the driver's seat, closing the door with a little too much force and gripping the wheel with white knuckled strength.

"Take me home." She whispered, as her foot pressed down on the gas and the car jolted forward, pulled towards the town line by the magic of the so-much-more-than-a-simple-locater-spell causing it to shimmer ever so slightly in the early morning sun.

 

8 years, and she was finally going to find her family.


End file.
